Santos wanted Gremio stay

Andre Santos has confirmed that he wanted to stay at Gremio on a permanent basis, but the Brazilian club could not afford him, so he will reluctantly return to Arsenal now.

He secured a loan move to Gremio in February after failing to meet expectations at the Emirates following a move from Fenerbahce in the summer of 2011.

Santos is quoted as saying the following:

"“My loan deal is over. It was six months long and now I am returning. Gremio had an agreement with Arsenal and I have to return. I wanted to stay. Gremio were fair regarding everything. I felt well there and I wanted to win a title before leaving. Unfortunately there is no deal and I had to return to Arsenal.” – Andre Santos on a reluctant return to Arsenal."

It’s fair to say that the feeling is mutual. There is no room for Santos at Arsenal with Gibbs and Monreal in his position and much better players too. If we can offload Santos anywhere in the summer, it will be another waste of space off of the wage bill and free up more money for signings.

Santos certainly wasn’t the best player in the world, but he had character. He was like the new Eboue, popular and lovable despite being average at best. Feelings towards him changed when he swapped shirts with Van Persie at half time in the game at Old Trafford in November and he never really recovered after the fans slated him. Poor performances followed, his last for the club being particularly shocking against Liverpool at the end of January. That was enough for Wenger to sign Nacho Monreal and effectively end Santos’ spell at Arsenal.

Andre Santos admits he didn’t want to return to Arsenal.